Drishtikone
The world of politics – specially world politics is amazingly shallow. It took hardly anytime to call the meeting to condemn the assassination of Bhutto… but agreeing on the language of the statement. Well, that’s another matter! That, took forever! Because no one can agree on how to address an “act of terror” within one’s borders – sponsored and executed by people from that country itself!!
By UN custom, the meeting of the UN Security Council was called quite rapidly. Ambassadors walked into a closed door meeting at noon, the U.S, France, and Italy led the call for the Council to issue a statement.
But even a statement following a violent act is not easy for 15 countries to quickly settle on. It can take one word to make diplomats squabble for hours, even days.
An ambassador will leave the room and telephone a higher ranking foreign affairs official in a world capital for instructions and to update on what another nation is demanding.
Sure enough, 90 minutes in, Pakistan, not on the Council, sent word it was not pleased with a few of the words.
A diplomat said Pakistan objected to condemning the act “in the strongest terms.” The countries of the UN are very touchy with how the powerful Security Council responds to any action in its own borders.
As of 1:50 pm, ambassadors were reviewing the third draft. All 15 countries on the panel must agree before it becomes official.
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